Dublin is in line for 120 new jobs as software firm SQS plans an €8 million investment under the new Expleo brand.

A further 30 jobs will be created in Belfast, the company said, where it has had operations for more than a decade.

The move comes 18 months after Assystem Technologies took over the operations of Assystem’s Global Product Solutions division and made a series of acquisitions, including SQS.

The rebranded entity, Expleo Ireland, will concentrate on the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, aerospace and automobile industries.

Expleo Ireland managing director Phil Codd said it marked the start of “a bold new chapter” for the company in Ireland. “The key to this will be – and always has been – our people,” he said. “We have a rich digital ecosystem in Ireland and we plan to be an even greater driving force at the heart of that ecosystem, reinforcing Ireland’s position as a major player in the global digital economy.”

As part of the expansion, the company is seeking to hire experts in robotics, quality engineering, DevOps, project management and business agility. Hiring for the roles has already begun. Mr Codd said this moved the company beyond their previous focus on hiring computer science graduates or other Stem specialities and into the arts and humanities side of things, including those with a creative design and engineering background.

Rebranding

Mr Codd said the decision to rebrand the entity was made because both organisations did “distinctly different” things. “It’s a new breed of company,” he said.

The new entity will offer its customers access to sector-specific expertise across consultancy and business agility, product design, production and in-service support.

“All businesses are in a technology race. They need to transform their operating model by securing access to both leading-edge technologies and deep industry knowledge,” said Olivier Aldrin, chief executive of Expleo. “We have made a bold move to help our clients win this race by becoming Expleo, a new breed of technology partner that offers end-to-end, integrated engineering, quality services and management consulting for digital transformation.”

The new company employs 15,000 people across 25 countries. Also on the cards is expansion in Germany, North America and India, aiming to double in size in India over the next few years and reach more than 5,000 employees.